Meet Cheryl

ANNOUNCER:

HUMIRA is a prescription medicine used alone or with certain other medicines to reduce the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis in adults, it may prevent further damage to your bones and joints, and may help your ability to perform daily activities.

CHERYL:

Having my twins was like the most wonderful, pivotal moment of my life. Talk about hitting the jackpot—I get a boy and a girl—get it done in one shot. I look down on my hands one day...
...and I was like gosh, they’re really red, they’re really itchy. What are these scales that are on my hands? And my joints were swollen. I was so embarrassed in business meetings. I mean if I was at a conference table, I would try to hide my hands as much as I could underneath the table.

CONNOR: (Cheryl’s son)

We lived in Florida, so it was just hot all the time and you would see her walking around with like these long-sleeved shirts and like, “Aren’t you hot in that?” And she was like, “No, no. I’m fine.”
We could tell that she was, but.

KATIE: (Cheryl’s daughter)

…You could visibly tell that she was in pain. It was obvious.

CHERYL:

It was horrible for me as a mom having to get through the workday and then struggle to get them where they needed to be and be active with them. It was very difficult. I stopped golfing for several years because…I don’t think I could’ve even made it through 18 holes. I was actually having joint erosion start in my wrists, in the tips of my fingers. Finally, I...I...found a doctor who told me what I had was psoriatic arthritis. A topical medication was not going to be the endgame solution for me because—quite frankly, I’d been doing that for years. He’s like, “we’ve got to go a little bit further with your treatment. I think you’re going to need to start a biologic.” And he’s the one who recommended HUMIRA.

CHERYL:

My goal was to feel better. I mean I didn’t have any other benchmarks besides “I’m tired of feeling this way” and “I have to feel better.”

AVO:

HUMIRA can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for TB. Tell your doctor if you’ve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you’ve had TB, hepatitis B, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. Don’t start HUMIRA if you have an infection.

CHERYL:

When I actually started treatment, that was like my a-ha moment. It was like, I’m not nearly as sore as I used to be. This is working for me.

CONNOR:

Now she has all this freedom to go out and just walk around.

KATIE:

We can actually go out and do stuff, and not feel like it’s, you know, a huge obstacle for her.

CHERYL:

I feel like I have potential to do a lot of things I want to do. I actually used to be a volunteer mentor, specifically to talk to other patients who were considering starting treatment but had not. I would tell someone who has some hesitations. Consider how your life is today. Is that how you want to continue to live your life? Don’t let your fear of the unknown stop you from trying to seek treatment, or trying to make a better life for yourself. I am so active now. My body’s not fighting me anymore.